At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, HTC has presented a new 5G router, not a new 5G smartphone, which is out of our expectation. The 5G router comes with Android user interface and is equipped with a huge screen. The 5G router chipset comes from Qualcomm.
HTC 5G router Specifications
The HTC 5G Hub is equipped with a 5 inch touch screen on the front. The resolution is quite rough with 1280 x 720 pixels, but for a router such a huge screen is still almost oversized anyway. HTC promises that the 5G router is with Android 9 operating system, and can also stream movies. The output can also be made via the built-in USB-C port on the back of a TV, so you do not necessarily rely on the screen on the router. With the microSD card slot, you can also play your own content such as photos and videos on the 5G hub.
The integrated modem comes from Qualcomm, it is the model Snapdragon X50v2. The processor uses a Snapdragon 855 with 4 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the 5G Hub is 32 GB, which is sufficient for the operating system and some apps. In addition to the USB Type C connector, there is also a RJ45 Gigabit LAN connector and a connector for a power supply. However, there is no connector for external antennas, so External antennas cannot be connected.
Wi-Fi is supported on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. In addition to the current WLAN ac standard, the upcoming WLAN ad / WLAN 6 standard is also supported.
HTC 5G Hub frequency ranges
The HTC 5G Hub can use 5G both in the mmWave frequency range between 26 and 28 GHz and in the C-band frequency range between 3.4 and 3.8 GHz. The C-band, also known as band n78, will be available in Europe. Whether the HTC 5g router also supports older mobile radio standards such as LTE and UMTS, is so far unclear. Since with the Snapdragon 855 a suitable modem is installed, but can be assumed.
HTC 5G Router Availability Time and Price
HTC brings the 5G Hub in cooperation with various network operators on the market, among other things, the 5G router is also offered in Germany at Telekom. When and at what price is still unknown. Other providers of the HTC 5G Hub are Elisa (Finland), Sunrise (Switzerland), Three (England), Telstra (Australia) and Sprint (USA). At Sprint, the 5G Hub will be available in the second quarter of 2019.